Bechukotai(Leviticus 26:3-27:34)

Of Love and Pain

Greetings from the holy city of Jerusalem!

Parshat Bechukotai contains a series of blessings and curses. Surprisingly, only 11 verses are dedicated to blessings (Leviticus 26:3-13), while a full 36 verses are dedicated to curses (Leviticus 26:14-46). The contrast is striking. Why are there so many more curses than blessings? It almost seems as though someone is out to get us!

Furthermore, King David writes in Psalms, "Your staff and Your rod have comforted me" (Psalms 23:4). It seems strange that he would use this imagery to depict comfort, since staffs and rods are instruments of pain. If King David wanted to use soothing symbolism, why didn't he write something like, "Pillows and cushions have comforted me"?

The Chafetz Chaim cites the Talmud (Brachot 5a), in which Rava explains that God smites His desired ones with pains and difficulties, as the verse says, "The one whom God desires is smitten with illness" (Isaiah 53:10). We also find a support to this idea in the verses, "God chastises the one He loves, like a parent who desires the child" (Proverbs 3:12) and "Fortunate is the one whom God afflicts with pains and suffering" (Psalms 94:10).

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A MOTHER'S CARE

Based on these verses, we can understand why King David used staffs and rods as examples of comfort. Staffs and rods are instruments of pain - and this is precisely the idea that King David found so comforting! The pain itself is a sign that God loves us. But how? Let us explore this idea with a concrete example.

Imagine you're walking down the street, and a few yards ahead of you, a group of children is playing ball. At a certain point, the ball is kicked into the gutter, and a 5-year-old boy runs out to retrieve it. He is so focused on the ball that he doesn't look for oncoming traffic, and he dashes into the street directly in front of a car. The driver notices the boy at the last second, slams on the brakes, and the car comes to a screeching halt - missing the boy by an inch.

Your reaction to this scene, as a pedestrian, would most likely be to hold your breath in horror, and then, when you see that the boy is unharmed, to continue on your way, perhaps shaking your head about the impulsiveness of children.

If the boy's mother were witnessing the scene, on the other hand, she would react differently. Initially, she will also hold her breath in horror - but when she sees that her son is unharmed, she will run over to him, drag him off the street, and spank him soundly, all the while yelling that he should never, ever do that again!

What's the difference between you and the boy's mother? You don't care about the boy as much as his mother does. She loves him so much that she will temporarily inflict pain on him in order to teach him a lesson.

Let us quickly explore five additional points that support the idea that pain indicates God's love for us:

The Ramchal (Mesillat Yesharim 1) states that challenges and difficulties remind us of the transience of this world. When, due to our pain, we realize that life is really about the next world, we can realign our values and live in accordance with what is lasting and true.

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains that pain strengthens our moral fiber and molds us. Going through difficult experiences helps us to be sensitive to others' pain and helps us to appreciate good in our lives. Pain is therefore a gift from the One who loves us ("no pain, no gain"), and crises and problems can be seen as opportunities for growth.

Our pain can cause us to cry out to God, thus affording us the opportunity to develop a relationship with our Creator. This is not the same as prayer by rote; this is a much deeper level. Calling out from the depths of our heart and initiating a conversation with God in our own language is a powerful way to build a relationship with Him.

Maimonides (Hilchot Ta'aniyot 1:3) teaches that tragedies strike in order for us to repent and return to God.

Pain cleanses us from any mistakes we may have made in the past.

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CURSES AND BLESSINGS

Of course, despite all the benefits of pain, we must never ask for challenges in this area. But when troubles come on their own, ironically, our very suffering should bring us happiness and joy. The tractate of the Talmud devoted to the laws of mourning is called "Tractate of Happiness" (found at the end of Tractate Avodah Zara). On a simple level, we can understand this as meaning that a mourner is not permitted to attend festivities and celebrations. On a deeper level, however, the title indicates that mourning is actually a happy occasion.

This explains why Parshat Bechukotai contains more curses than blessings. The curses themselves are a sign that God loves us and wants us to receive all the benefits that come from the difficulties. As the Midrash (Devarim Raba 1:4) points out, Bilam ultimately blesses the Jewish people, while Moses ultimately curses the nation. Why would our arch-enemy give us a blessing and our devoted leader give us a curse?

Bilam doesn't want us to benefit from all the positive opportunities that come with pain. He simply wants to compliment us, to reassure us that everything is okay, so that we will not have the chance to grow beyond our current level. Moses, on the other hand, who loves us and really cares, doesn't let us off the hook. He chastises us harshly in order to make sure we become the best that we can be.

God loves us even more than Moses. Because of this, the curses in Parshat Bechukotai are even harsher than the curses that Moses gives in the Book of Deuteronomy (see Rashi on Leviticus 26:19 in contrast to Deut. 28:23). We see this in the most tragic month on the Jewish calendar, as well, the month in which both Temples were destroyed and numerous other national tragedies occurred. This month is called "Av," which is the Hebrew word for "father." The calamities of Av teach us that our Creator loves us deeply. If God didn't care about us, He wouldn't bother to send us the opportunities of pain.

We can each choose whether or not to implement these ideas in our own lives in order to help us cope, change our attitudes, and better manage our own challenges. We must remember, however, never to lecture other people when they are going through a period of suffering. When others are in pain, our job is simply to be there for them, cry with them, feel their pain, and do whatever we can to provide comfort.

May we all be blessed with the strength to face challenges and difficulties with a healthy frame of mind, so that we clarify the purpose of life, stretch ourselves to the maximum, and become as close as possible to God, Who is loving us every moment.

Visitor Comments: 7

(7)
Sara,
May 17, 2017 9:19 PM

Beautiful!

Thank you so much for your beautiful article! You have given me tremendous amount of chizick! I love it as I myself am going through challenges and yes I have to always remember that Hashem loves us even though we are in pain! The pain is to get me closer to our loving Father and keep on calling out to Him as He is the only One who can and will help me!

(6)
Judith,
April 10, 2013 9:09 AM

wonderful article

This is a very meaningful article with several important messages for us. I hope to use it as basis for a shiur to our women's group in our shul. Many thanks for all our great articles!

(5)
diana,
May 24, 2008 10:01 PM

good judgment Pamela

the bible teaches that if the rod is witheld the child will be spoiled. I don''t agree with whatever governing body is outlawing "spanking"-that''s outrageous. Thank God His word is smarter than us and governments, I agree with Pamela. The cuddling should be there if the child is afraid of the oncoming car and then needs to be reassured, the spanking is not for "punishment" as much as for curbing the child''s impulsiveness. Also, lets not forget, foolishness is bound to the heart of a chid. I think that a little spanking goes a long way. To all the wise parents out there, keep spanking in love not anger. Your children will thank you, Thank You Mom!!!

(4)
marie,
May 23, 2008 7:53 PM

i''m not sure there are curses

the more i have started to trust G-d, the more i have stopped seeing bad things as curses, because usually, something that seems bad at first always turns out for good in the end...

(3)
Pamela,
May 10, 2007 7:41 AM

Agree with the mother's reaction

As a mother of 4 and the grandmother of 5 I laughed out loud at the differences in the reaction between the mother and the narrator in the story to the child's near miss with death. I so would have responded as the mother did. It is a very real example of the things we do when we love someone so much. The pain(?) of the swat on the bottom is far less than the impact of the car. As I have experienced such incidents, the child is far less aware of his pending danger, almost to a level of oblivion, so the reaction of the parent is to make sure he gives special attention to safety when playing in the street.

In response to the reader I am unsure how cuddling the child will instill such awareness on him. Cuddling is intended to calm the frightened, sooth the lonely, nurture the needy. This would be appropriate if the child was aware that he was in danger and was frightened. Then the lesson was presented by the car and the parent can be the shoulder to lean on just as God is our source of comfort when we are lonely, frightened, and needy.

Outlawing spanking? There must be balance in everything.

(2)
Shells,
May 9, 2007 6:13 PM

A Mother doesn't resort to spanking!

first I apologise as I've not fully read your piece yet as it's getting late, however........... I was horrified to see you record how you perceive that a mother would spank her child or inflict pain. This is definately not something I support and infact in England the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is trying to have spanking as you call it outlawed. Having been in this situation I would cuddle my child and explain how worried I was for their safety, make sure my child was emotionally ok and only briefly acknowledge what had happened. I would then hand hold my child and offer my support to encourage my child to learn more about road safety with prompts in that and future journeys. I think that what our faith gives us is free will to decide whether we will include the rod and staff to support us by using prayer and a belief that helps us greatly to achieve the best we can in a way that was intended - with love

(1)
Linda Martin,
May 6, 2007 12:56 PM

Rod and Staff not only for chastisement, but support

The reference to Rod and Staff (as instruments of pain and chastisement) being a source of comfort, is surely not surprising when one remembers that a stout Rod or Staff when held on to for support on a difficult journey can prevent many a slip and fall.

About the Author

Rabbi Abba Wagensberg is a disciple of Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, and is a popular lecturer in Jerusalem and throughout the Jewish world. Originally from New Jersey, he now lives in the Old City of Jerusalem.